Glass Butterflies
by wallflower.raine
Summary: Olivia and Alex go on a tropical getaway and get tangled up in a case. A/O. Slightly AU. Partner to We Go On. Slight language warning.
1. Arrival and Departure

There were fragile butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Alex placed a hand on her hipbone and breathed out. Guilt clawed away at her insides as she pulled up to the crime scene and slammed the door of the town car. She was going to see Olivia again. She spotted the detective shoulder to shoulder with Elliot and Cragen, discussing something in low tones. Alex heard Olivia raise her voice over something (she heard the name _Greyleck_ and decided it couldn't be good). Cragen furrowed his brow and frowned; Alex continued walking towards them, wondering when she would be noticed.

Elliot raised his head first, his mouth slack with shock. Olivia looked up a second later, her eyes running over Alex as if she couldn't believe she was actually there.

"Alex," she breathed softly. Alex smiled back and lowered her eyes slightly. She wanted to rush forward and hug Olivia, but her professional instinct held her to the ground. Cragen looked slightly awkward as they exchanged glances, but Alex didn't care. She was glad to be back.

"What the _FUCK,_ Alex?!" Olivia yelled. Alex could see the hurt behind her eyes but chose to stay cross legged on the couch. They were at her new apartment; Olivia had seemed like she was barely keeping herself together at work; between her sudden appearance and the legal jumble that had become her case, she was not in a good mood.

"I'm sorry," Alex mumbled.

Olivia paused and sat next to Alex, running her hands through her hair; Alex could barely stand to see the look of defeat on Olivia's face.

"I was afraid," Alex started. "I… I stayed away for so long because I was afraid. It's always fear that keeps you rooted to one spot, Liv." Alex paused and offered her slim hand to Olivia, who grabbed it and gave it a squeeze. "I almost married a fucking _man _because I wanted to start over so badly. I changed everything about myself. I left the career I loved to be buried in paperwork. I wanted to start over."

"Then start over now," Olivia's sudden soft tone shatters the glass butterflies in Alex's stomach. "Start over now. Five years is a long time to lose someone, Alex. But I told you forever, didn't it?" Olivia's voice is still raw with hurt, but she smiles softly and bumps Alex's shoulder.

Something about the moment, illuminated with the growing darkness outside and the lights of the city slowly blinking on to welcome the night, calmed Alex and Olivia.

It would be okay.

"I clawed my way out of Appeals to be here, so show me what I ruined my nails for," Alex smirks as she sat next to Olivia on a bench in the courthouse corridor, waiting for the trial to be called back into session. Olivia laughs.

Alex crosses her arms and stares out into space. She's not entirely sure why she has returned; after McCoy asked her to interim after Greyleck requested her transfer, her original plan was to go into Appeals. It was all set up; even as she left for training she was having doubts; she enjoyed working with SVU, like she did before. She enjoyed being around Olivia every day. Now she had returned for good, to replace Paxton.

Of course, she had considered staying in Appeals. She could see Olivia on the weekends, go out for drinks. But it seemed once she was actually away for the second time after working with SVU, the guilt and loss clawed deeper at her. When she was notified about the pedophile rights case, she had to go back. No question.

"Well, I'm very glad you sacrificed your beauty," Olivia interrupts Alex's thoughts and stands, offering her a hand. Alex takes it and squeezes.

"You people are like magnets, I swear to God," Alex huffs and smoothes her skirt. What she means is: _you're like a magnet, _but she keeps her mouth shut. "I came back to this fucked up cluster case, Liv; everything's gotten crazier."

"We've kept each other sane," Alex smiles and grabs her briefcase. "I've got to get back in there." Olivia nods and reaches for her phone as it chimes.

"Benson," She pauses and holds up a finger to Alex. "What? No, El, I can't understand you… slow down…" Olivia's smile fell. "No, no, I'm at the trial with Alex, I…" her brow furrows and she shoots and glance at Alex. A pit falls into her stomach.

"I'll be right there. 10 minutes," Liv snaps her phone shut and throws on her jacket. "A kid just got shot. I need to go," she runs out of the Courthouse without saying goodbye. Alex takes in a breath and runs her fingers through her soft blonde hair.

The butterflies rise back up in her stomach as she re-enters the courtroom. She can feel a calm anger boiling in her stomach as she calls up her first witness.

She was back.

The fog that had clouded Alex's mind was slowly beginning to recede; her years in Witness Protection had done nothing but paralyze her with fear and paranoia. Appeals dulled her anger and kept her in a methodic, repetitive rut. She glances over at Olivia who is sipping her drink next to her, glancing out the bar's window.

"What happened to the kid?"

"He died," Olivia's voice is soft and slow; Alex hates it when she gets like this.

"Did you catch the perp?"

"Case got turfed to Homicide," Olivia stirs her drink and sneezes a few times. Alex thinks she really, really needs a break.

"You feeling sick?"

"No," Olivia sneezes again. Alex knows she's lying.

"Let's go away."

"I have to work… you have to work…" Liv lays her head down on the bar. Alex reaches over and gently strokes her hair. She could take her stacked up vacation days. Olivia could too.

"We both need to get away. You know, I haven't been out of the state since I got out of Witness Protection. Let's go somewhere. Two friends, somewhere warm…"

Olivia sneezes in response.

The two women are standing at the terminal at the airport, both holding tickets to Hawaii. Olivia is sniffling.

"I'm sick," she mumbles. Alex sighs and smiles slightly. She picks up her bag and helps Olivia with hers as they enter the terminal. Olivia shivers slightly next to her and coughs; the silver tunnel closes over their heads and a metallic smell enters Alex's nose and they enter the plane and take their seats.

Up in the air to Hawaii; away.

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I'm so sorry for the break between fics; January contains both Finals and Hell Week for me at school, so it's hard to sit down and write.**

**Anyways, I hope you enjoy this one. It'll be slightly AU, but hopefully I'll keep A&O nicely in their characters. I use Fanfiction to warm up before my serious school/novel writing, so there might be some breaks, but I promise I'll finish. Enjoy everyone!**

** --Wallie (Raine)**


	2. The People Who Ruin Vacations

Olivia is sniffling beside her on the plane; Alex absentmindedly hands her a tissue and glances out the window; it seemed like yesterday, but it was nearly eleven years ago that she met Olivia. It had been nearly five of those, however, that she was stashed away in Cow Town, USA for her own safety; the two needed some catching up.

"So are you going to claim allergies or are you going to take some Nyquil like a man and sleep this off?"

"You're funny." Olivia blows her nose and closes her eyes. "No more than 10oz of liquid on a plane. Do not tease me with visions of medication. Good night." With that, Olivia turned away from Alex and pulled her blanket over her head. Alex grinned and rubbed her back.

"For the love of God, Al. I told you that you were going to get sunburned. I'm sorry, but you're pale as a ghost," Olivia smiles and rolls her eyes as she tosses the bottle of sunscreen on Alex's hotel bed. They've been in Hawaii for two days and Olivia is miraculously over her cold and Alex has already gotten herself sunburned.

"Thanks," Alex sits on the edge of the bed and reaches for the bottle. Olivia saunters past her and takes a drink from a bottle of water. They'd been a little shy around each other as of late, due to their close proximity and fragility of their friendship. As Olivia would say, 'the mission of this vacation is to rebuild the connection we had, not to mindlessly fuck around.' Already, Alex is playing Ella Fitzgerald over the stereo, which really isn't helping the friendship motif.

"Hey, Liv, can you grab my phone out of my bag…" as Alex speaks, a bang echoes from the hallway and both women jump. Someone starts shouting; a second later, two bloody gunshots pierce the air. Something hits the door of their room.

Alex wordlessly dives to the floor, panic flitting behind her eyes. Olivia sidles up to the door. Ella and Louis' voices fill the room, and a muffled moaning comes from the other side of the door. Olivia motions to Alex, who quickly grabs Olivia's bag and pulls out her handgun, sliding it across the floor. She remembers badgering Olivia about it at the airport, about how they had to get there so much earlier because of the weapon, and how they weren't going to need a gun a paradise.

For once in her life, Alex Cabot is glad to admit she was wrong.

Olivia cringes as another shot goes off; the aftershock sounds like it's ricocheted off something metallic. Feet run past the door. A woman crying.

Olivia cracks open the hotel room door, gun loaded, all senses on full alert. A limp, but still breathing body slumps through the crack and Alex creeps forward and pulls her into the room, checking the bloodied woman for weapons. The chick is dressed like a hooker, and Alex figures that's what she probably is. From what's visible, it looks like she was shot twice in the leg. Olivia gives Alex a backwards glance as she leaves and slips out of the hotel room.

"Hey!"

"Police—stop resisting!" Olivia catches the alleged shooter near the emergency staircase and knocks the weapon from his hand. He didn't hear her coming around the corner; he was entering something into his phone. She has him on the ground in seconds, his arms twisted behind his back. An ambulance siren sounds in the background.

"What do you think you're doing?" An eerily familiar voice shrieks behind Olivia and she turns her head. She's now aware of the sound of marching footsteps coming up the hotel staircase.

"I'm an off-duty police officer. And you are…?"

"FBI… Detective Benson?"

"Agent Lewis?"

Things just got awkward.

**Author's Note: If you got through that, you're amazing. I foolishly started out this story without knowing where I was going, and now I have a horrendous case of Spastic Author Disease. It's bad. I mean really bad; and it doesn't help that this is the first thing I revisit after my long writing-block inspired hiatus, huh?**

**So I need/beg for your help! Please PM me, or leave a comment, and tell me what you want to see in this fic. (Besides A/O, I have THAT planned.) Give me plot suggestions, chapter suggestions, anything! I will love you forever for it.**

**Thanks for bearing with me 3**

**--Wallie**


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